Tag: sunshine

How to bottle autumn sunshine: scent notes to seek & how to layer

At this time of year we are clinging on to every scrap of sunshine we can get – and one of the best ways to do this is to wear scents that seem to bottle that particular, golden quality of light we get in autumn. This way, even when the weather isn’t sunny all day, or there’s a chill on the breeze, we can still revel in that gilded warmth all day long.

For the Seasonal Scents subscription boxes, we choose fragrances ideally suited for wearing right now, so your fragrance wardrobe perfectly reflects the weather. Right now, we’re shipping the Autumn Box – filled with gloriously golden, woody and more snuggly notes, but none of them too heavy or overwhelming for even the most sunny autumn day.

 

 

 

 

You can discover the scents in the Autumn Box, and see a scent-by-scent unboxing here! We’re sure you’ll find several new scents to adore – and when your box arrives you can explore in your own time, all from the comfort of your own home.

 

 

In the meantime, here are some general tips for seeking a sunshine-filled seasonal balance in your choice of perfume:

 

  • Look for notes such as bergamot, orange, mandarin and lemon to add some zing to a scent – uplifting the spirit and reviving energy, these ingredients also cut through heavier notes in a fragrance composition and can remind us of bright sunlight breaking through the clouds. Or close your eyes and imagine the light streaming through amber or red coloured leaves in a woodland setting: citrus plus woody, smoky or resinous notes give this amber-hued olfactory impression.

 

 

  • Floral notes such as rose, iris and even jasmine are still beautiful in autumnal scents – tempered by woody, mossy or resinous bases they feel richer, more texturally akin to velvet, suede or cashmere than summery linen or cotton-centric scents. What’s more, autumn is often the best time of year to try these florals with more density, as in hot weather they can feel too overpowering. Consider looking through your current collection to rediscover scents you may have overlooked in summer – or break out of your comfort zone and try a brand new style of scent you’d previously discounted as ‘not really me’. Temperature and climate can play a huge role in how we wear and perceive a scent.

 

 

If it’s a sunnier autumn day and your choice of scent suddenly feels too heavy (as though you’ve put on a thick jumper or winter-weight coat too early), don’t be afraid to layer your fragrance with a lighter, brighter scent to feel like you’ve taken a layer off and can breathe again! We’ve a simple guide to layering fragrances you can follow to change-up your fragrance as the weather / your mood requires.

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Bring Me Sunshine: how ‘solar’ became a whole new scent category

For some time at The Perfume Society, we’ve been noticing a surge of fragrances described as ‘solar’. Filled with sunshine, radiant and sparkling, we might once have called these fragrances ‘fresh-floral’ or, more prosaically, ‘citrus’. But lately, we’ve felt that this is no more (solar) flash-in-the-pan, but the birth of a whole new fragrance family. And that doesn’t happen every day…

 

In a fragrance, ‘solar’ denotes a feeling of sunshine – but with it a physical feeling of being uplifted, of turning our faces toward the light source, a perfumed purr of warm cat contentedness. Citrus notes are vital, but in this new genre they’re mellowed by breezy blossoms, dappled with cooler herbs or touched with a tingle of spices and warm woods.

 

 

For prolific Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas, it was vital to use orange blossom as a note in the Mizensir fragrance (from his own fragrance line), Solar Blossom. He explains: ‘Orange puts the soleil into a fragrance – it’s sunshine in flower form.’ He cannot smell orange blossom without thinking of the sun, Alberto tells me, but insists that when creating a ‘solar’ fragrance, it’s about more than trying to make it feel sunny.

 

‘For me it goes much deeper than that,’ he says, his blue eyes twinkling as he looks out on what happens to be a grey London view. ‘I’m from Seville, and really when I’m creating a fragrance, all my emotion goes back to my home.’ He reminisces about the place where he lived as a boy, clearly remembering Seville as his true home even though he moved to Switzerland when he was 10. ‘You have the sun, you have the light and the water – always a fountain in the middle of the square – and to me, solar means your soul is being lifted upwards, you’re looking up from the cool shade of a courtyard to the sun, so powerful, above.’

 

 

 

Solar Blossom represents all these elements, he continues, and along with orange blossom, he deployed jasmine and musk to represent ‘the dimension of the sun. It’s very important, to create this dimension of space within any fragrance.’  When he was was six or seven, Morillas recalls, ‘I liked to lay on my back and look at the sky at the shapes of the clouds, fascinated by how they change all the time, the many things you can see in them. To me this is the closest form of a physical representation of perfume. It should always be changing, just like the sky. The clouds will be forever shifting.’

Mizensir Solar Blossom £185 for 100ml eau de parfum lessenteurs.com

 

 

 

 

Always-inventive perfumer Calice Becker decided altogether to eschew ‘typical solar notes’, as she puts it, for Parfums de Marly Cassili. Becker continues, ‘the combination of plum-frangipani-sandalwood creates a creamy tropical feeling that I describe as solar.’ It offers that holiday-in-a-bottle, instantaneous hit of happiness that brings back memories of stepping off the plane and being hit by a glorious wall of warm air, followed by your body’s involuntary sigh of (sunny) delight.

Parfums de Marly Cassili £230 for 75ml eau de parfum selfridges.com

 

 

 

Perhaps the ultimate ‘solar’ warm-skin scent, if we choose to express it in these terms, is Guerlain Terracotta, Thierry Wasser’s sun-soaked homage in scent to the brand’s iconic bronzing powder. There’s bergamot in the top notes, yes, but it’s all about the lactic lap of tiaré flowers against the heady exoticism of warm, waxy ylang ylang, transporting us to a faraway idyll. Oh god, yes please.

Guerlain Terracotta £75 for 100ml eau de toilette guerlain.com

 

 

 

 

 

For scents steeped in sunshine, meanwhile, it’s always been hard to beat Acqua di Parma’s Colonia. Since 1916 we’ve been reaching for the golden glow of Sicilian citrus (bergamot, lemon and sweet orange), the brightness glittering to a heart of lavender and Bulgarian rose on a smooth, woody base; a formula that’s remained unchanged to this day, reviving flagging spirits and bringing sunshine for 107 years – before ‘solar’ was a thing, and no matter the weather. Which is just as well, really, isn’t it?

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

The Summer Subscription Box… (Get yours while you can!)

Have you got your Summer Subscription Box yet? These are perfectly curated scent selections for each season, and the Summer one contains a particularly gorgeous array of sunshine-infused fragrances that radiate happiness and a sense of adventure – perfect for taking on holiday, or for stashing in your bag whenever you need a perfumed pick-me-up throughout the day.

Seasonal Scents Subscription is priced: Quarterly Subscription £18 for a single box, super flexible rolling contract.
You will be charged every three months, but the subscription can be cancelled at any time up to 48 hours before the launch dates for future boxes. Or, £68 for a Yearly Subscription – a great saving on all four boxes.

You can read more about how to sign up for the Seasonal Scents Subscription boxes, here.

 

 

Meanwhile, we’re hanging on to summer here at TPS Towers, and while the weather doesn’t always feel especially summery, there’s actually 67 days left of summer, at the time of posting! So, let’s make the most of them and enjoy these fabulous fragrances every day.

Inside the Summer Subscription Box you’ll find samples & travel sizes of…

 

 

Jimmy Choo Rose Passion

Nathalie Lorson is the fragrance powerhouse perfumer for Rose Passion – the perfect choice of nose to conjure glamour and daring, with that signature, ultra-feminine Jimmy Choo swagger that simply glows with confidence from first spritz. Coconut water delivers almost thirst-quenching freshness, at first sniff, before more exotic notes rise to an opulent crescendo: orchid, jasmine, sweet vanilla, and creamy sandalwood. Just as we’re starting to get used to wearing heels again, this taps into the renewed craving for dressed-up perfumes. Party on!

 

 

 

Sana Jardin Incense Water

A sheer scent that marries a velvety yet gauzy rose to crystalline patchouli heart with the piquancy of pimento berries and raspberry leaf on a pellucid sandalwood base. Like wearing an echo of a comforting dream, you really can sense the rose water flowing through the composition, and tendrils of incense floating on the breeze. Simply beautiful, since its launch we’ve loved wearing this on warmer days when other roses simply wilt, but the transparency of this helps it bloom.

 

 

Inition Paragon

Olfactory enlightenment, expressed via this ‘mantra-centric’ creation, drawing on ‘sacred woods and plants’, notably powerfully purifying and protective sage and Palo Santo wood. Close your eyes and meditate on how those notes drift through bergamot, lavender, black pepper, delivering on Paragon’s promise to bestow an ‘aura around the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies.’ Scents with a more spiritual focus are a strong trend – fragrances that don’t only smell amazing, but which help us feel better.

 

 

 

Nishane Hacivat

Hacivat was part of a collection of fragrances exploring this culture and mythology; with this scent being a werable tribute to elegance, kindness, and the love of art itself. As the house so beautifully put it: ‘…this eau chypre will help you live in your best dreams by the everlasting sparkles of its joyful structure made of the stimulating notes of pineapple and bergamot backed with the genuine woody notes. Enjoy being loved with this blissful scent that has become an iconic scent for many in such a short period of time!’

 

 

 

Juliette Has a Gun Lust for Sun

Sometimes, we just need a hit of ‘holiday in a bottle’ (no matter what the time of year) to help us through. We invite you to slap on the sunscreen, pop on your most glamorous shades, and get set for sunshine via freesia, coconut, ylang ylang, monoi and armfuls of orange blossom’s bounty. Swirled with vanilla and trailing the woody warmth of Ambroxan for hours, way past sunset, it’s a sure-fire hit for whenever you feel the need of that golden, glamorous, glass-clinking fun.

 

 

 

FLORAL_STREET_ELECTRIC_RHUBARB

Floral Street Electric Rhubarb

Inspired by happy summer days in the garden, sipping Prosecco with your nearest and dearest, this immediately joyous scent was created in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society. Effervescent bubbliness abounds with sparkling rhubarb popping the cork on a frothy gush of gardenia, exotic frangipani and radiant jasmine Sambac. Already we’re in the sunshine and partying – tinkling laughter and clinking glasses the backdrop to a happy-making fragrance that’ll have you wanting to kick off your shoes and dance barefoot.

 

 

 

Maison Crivelli Oud Maracuja

The oudh-averse among you need not run away, for this truly is oudh as you’ve never smelled it. A tart medley of passion fruit, blackcurrant (plus a dash of saffron) lift woods and resins out of the darkness. It washes skin with waves of freshness at first, before a sizzle of the saffron heats up the woodiness of the base. Never overwhelming, always wearable, this house is doing extraordinary things. This is a truly shareable scent, too (not often the case with oudhs), though you may not be willing to…

 

 

Shay & Blue Voulez Vous

Coffee is a ‘gourmand’ note not always seen in scents, but used so perfectly here as the antidote to any dreary days (and an olfactory alarm call when you’re feeling a bit sluggish!) There’s a creamy comfort to wearing this, as the aromatic coffee note is swirled within vanilla and touch of magnolia for a floral flourish – think of it as a dreamy, creamy latte in fine fragrance form. Blissful, and such fun!

Don’t forget – you’ve still got time (just about!) to grab yourself this Summer Box by joining the Seasonal Scent Subscription. All these samples and travel sizes will be delivered to your home, along with a link to the full Smelling Notes, and an unboxing video so you can smell along with us. Your Autumn box will then automatically be sent out to you in September, to prepare for the cooler months ahead. But let’s not think about that just yet, and extend the sunny days with these seasonally perfect perfumes…

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Diptyque Do Son limited edition – the film & fragrance

In these grey, seemingly endless days of January, what better than to sit back and immerse ourselves in the olfactory beauty of Diptyque’s brand new limited edition collection of Do Son? Even more so now they’ve released a gorgeous short film to accompany the launch…

‘Along the shores of the sea, plunge into the childhood memories of Yves Coueslant, one of the Maison’s founders. From this small seaside pagoda, the fragrance of tuberoses brought back by his mother from the flower market electrifies the senses and transports heart and mind.’

 

And what a fragrance Do Son is. Even previous tuberose naysayers (like me!) have fallen for it, this tender portrait of scent memories bottled in perfume form. Inviting us to ‘plunge into the childhood memories’ of Coueslant, the animated film takes us away from gloom and doom, straight to the sea shore in Vietnam, where balmy air and intoxicating scents lap at our senses. Really, the timing of this Do Son resurgence couldn’t be better.

 

 

So, what does Do Son smell like? Here’s my review, on smelling it again at their beautifully bijou Brook Street store:

Do Son feels lusciously fresh with a rising humidity, like walking into a hot house filled with just-watered exotic blooms, early in the morning before their headiness erupts. There’s a salted breeziness to it that’s all waft-y silk kaftan walks on the beach before breakfast, bare toes on warm sand, then ankle deep in the sea and staring at the horizon, blissfully.

If you have a bottle to hand, why not spritz some on as you watch the short film and prepare to escape for a while, within this tender and emotionally resonant portrayal…?

 

 

 

Encompassing a full range of fragranced treats in the limited edition Do So collection – including eau de parfum, eau de toilette, so-covetable (and refillable) Solid Perfume and Body Mist versions of the scent – you can further immerse yourself in the fragrance by incorporating the softly nourishing Cleansing Hand & Body Gel or Shower Oil; individual or beautifully boxed sets of scented soaps, a luxurious hand cream (so needed for the bitter winds and driving rain of the U.K. currently), Hair Mist, and even a Do Son Perfumed Bracelet.

If you’re yearning to get away and already dreaming of holidays, you’re certainly not alone. If you’ve yet to experience the scent of Do Son for yourself, now is a great time to seek it out for olfactory escapism. Or if, like us, you’ve already fallen for it – liberally layer the Do Son scent, and hit repeat on that short film until you can feel the sunshine flooding in…

Written by Suzy Nightingale

 

 

 

Light-filled fragrances for Diwali & scents for eternal sun-worshipers…

If you’re anything like us you’ll have been basking in the gloriously golden (and surprisingly warm) sunshine these last few days – we’re hanging on to every last ray, and it’s especially aposite to seek light-filled scents at this time, with the celebrations of Diwali about to begin – and other festivals around the world (and in many religions) in homage to the sun before the darker days truly kick in. Here, we pay our own perfumed tributes, and urge you to seek these out for eternal sunshine of the scented mind…

 

 

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ  Narciso Eau Neroli Ambrée
Neroli is one of the most instantly sunshine-y, happy-making notes on the scentscape (we took an office poll last year, and it came out on top for evoking bright light and happy, holiday memories). The brilliant Aurélien Guichard packs pleasure into every spritz, here – a veritable whoosh of optimism, tempered with comfort, in this slinky, silky dream. Orange blossom and soft woods sigh contentedly to the so-iconic white musk trail.
£65 for 50ml eau de parfum
johnlewis.com

 

 

 


BOUCHERON Patchouli D’Angkor
Here’s proof that patchouli can throw off its deep, dark and sometimes dark past to be reinvented as something sheer, summery and fresh. Here, patchouli has some unexpected bedfellows – pear, Bourbon pepper, jasmine and white musk – as well as more expected notes of bergamot in the top, guaiac wood in the soft base, offering further proof of perfumer Nathalie Lorson’s talent for reinventing notes, the better to delight and surprise our noses.
£175 for 125ml eau de parfum
Harrods.com

 

 

 

JIMMY CHOO Urban Hero Gold Edition
Luscious pineapple and ripe blood orange offer the most welcome kind of bracing opening, perfectly offsetting the more balsamic sweetness of soothing lavandin and rich, creamy tonka bean (think roasted almonds, lapped in milk) at the heart. This fragrance of contrasts, reflecting the inspiration of street art and free-spirited creatives amidst a city environment, is captured in a special edition golden bottle that will steal the show on his side of the bathroom shelf.
£72 for 100ml eau de parfum
johnlewis.com

 

 

 

LA MONTAÑA First Light Three Wick Candle
Don’t only think of perfumes, get ready to light up your life with this unique, utterly aromatic blend of wild mountain flora flushed by the first fingers of dawn breaking. Frosty fennel, bergamot, rosemary, mountain pepper, and rockrose pierce the air, and the inspiration for the scent came from that moment ‘…before anyone starts an engine, or lights a fire, the air is clear, and still, and silent. The first breath of the day carries the perfume of wild mountain herbs, the alchemy of which, blended naturally on the breeze, weaves a magical spell…  A new day, a new life – and a memory we didn’t know we had.’
£150 for 3-wick 650gms candle
In our shop

 

 

JEROBOAM Floro
Jeroboam pioneered downsized flacons: easy on the back, easier on the pocket, now offering this ‘flurry of flowers’ that proves they can bring the sunshine no matter the season. Fruit notes first capture the attention: green and red apples, and luscious pineapple. Then the flowers burst open: jasmine and airy, transparent petal notes, rendered a touch creamy by sandalwood and finished with a flourish of dry woods, white musk and cedar. Eminently shareable, Jeroboam suggest (and oh, we do love these light-filled flowers, on a chap!)
£100 for 30ml eau de parfum
jovoyparis.uk

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Let there be light – scenting the summer solstice

With the dawning light of the summer solstice comes a seasonal welcoming of midsummer (actually the beginning of astronomical summer) and the longest day. More than the Earth tilting its face fully toward the sun, for Wiccans and other nature-based faiths it’s a reminder to seek inner growth – celebrating the power of the sun while nurturing the light within.

The light forms fragrant inspiration for perfumers, too, capturing the sunshine (and moonbeams), bottling gradients of luminescence in ‘solar’ scents.

  

 

In fragrance, ‘solar’ denotes a feeling of sunshine, a languidly perfumed purr of warm-cat contentedness. In this new genre citrus is mellowed by breezy blossoms, dappled with cooler herbs or touched with a tingle of spices and warm woods, depending on the time or place they’re attempting to conjure.

These are fragrances capturing the intensity of late afternoon or blissfully dappled shade, scents evoking spectacular sunsets, the ‘blue hour’, forest nymphs bathed in moonlight, midnight’s velvety caress and qualities of light from specific locations around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Why are light-filled fragrances so popular? As Louisa May Alcott says in Little Women, ‘Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow.’ With all we’ve gone through and the state of the world at the moment, even an ex-goth like me has grown somewhat weary of shadows.

Use these scents as an olfactive sundial, to form your own fragrant ecliptic – the invisible path the sun follows across the sky – and bring on the light, whenever you need it most…

 

 

 

To the Fairest Aubine £85 for 50ml eau de parfum tothefairest.com
Sun-kissed softness celebrates new beginnings, orange blossom strengthening a honeyed hopefulness.

 

 

 

Ruth Mastenbroek Dagian £70 for 30ml eau de parfum ruthmastenbroek.com
 Grapefruit’s gleam pierces Stygian clouds, a shaft of amber warmth the olfactory embodiment of optimism.

 

 

 

 Björk & Berries Solstice £85 for 50ml eau de parfum  gb.bjorkandberries.com
Dazzling neroli and deep amber celebrate ‘the never ending light’ while swathed by soft cashmere’s nuzzle.

 

 

 

 

 

JUSBOX Good Morning £125 for 78ml eau de parfum selfridges.com
Tangerine-tinged sea breeze a scented snapshot of the second sunlight peaks the snow-capped mountain.

 

 

 

 

 

Lalique Soleil £100 for 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com
Pale gold fingers of light stroke pearly skin, a sip of coffee, a moment of peace, a hushed sigh of satisfaction.

 

 

Parle Moi de Parfum Wake Up World £98 for 50ml eau de parfum  johnlewis.com
Nurturing soul and spirit, bursts of citrus mellow to a hug of warm woodiness, a reminder to be kinder.

 

 

 

 

AKRO Awake £140 for 100ml eau de parfum  fenwick.co.uk
The bewitiching allure of a cosy coffee shop on a dull day – lemon-washed steamy windows, bitter luxury.

 

 

 

 

Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc £178 for 50ml eau de parfum  tomford.co.uk
A shiver of sunshine refracted through dewdrops, the glitter of sunlight on cresting waves.

 

 

 

 

Goutal Un Matin d’Orage £119 for 100ml eau de parfum  johnlewis.com
Sunlight scatters the clinging mist of a storm’s wake, a phosphorescent unfurling as the garden awakes.

 

 

 

 

CLOON_KEEN_LA_BEALTAINE.jpg

 

Cloon Keen Lá Bealtaine £120 for 100ml eau de parfum lessenteurs.com
A celebration of bright citrus craves heat-bloomed flowers, floaty sundresses, lemon sorbets, drowsy dreams.

 

 

Elie Saab Le Parfum Lumière £45 for 30ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com
Amidst orange blossom’s blizzard the tulle swirl of a white gown, dancing barefoot on sun-warmed stone.

 

 

 

Fragonard Soleil £39 for 50ml eau de parfum  marksandspencer.com
Drowsy afternoon’s opulence on velvet cushions, a Provençal garden glimpsed through half-closed eyes.

 

 

 

 

Roja Dove A Midsummer Dream from £45 for 7.5ml eau de parfum rojaparfums.com
A warm Chypré fever-dream drapes the zing of grapefuit in a silken spiced cloak with a secret mossy lining.

 

 

 Lalique Soleil Vibrant £72 for 50ml eau de parfum lalique.com
Safari big cat energy via ginger-spiked jasmine, orange blossom’s meridian headiness radiating happiness.

 

 

 

Tom Ford Soleil Brulant £240 for 50ml eau de parfum tomford.co.uk
A sizzle of honeyed seduction in the gilded high noon sun, somewhere ridiculously fabulous.

 

 

 

 

Parfums de Marly Cassili £210 for 75ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com
Peach-blushed skyline viewed atop a romantic rooftop, flushed face turned expectantly toward another kiss.

 

 

 

 

Coach Dreams Sunset £37.00 for 40ml eau de parfum escentual.com
Inspired by ‘golden hours and one-of-a-kind journeys with friends’, pear sorbet teases twilit jasmine.

 

 

 

 

Guerlain L’Heure Bleue £109 for 75ml eau de parfum  guerlain.com
A heartstoppingly romantic harmony of powdered pensiveness, heliotrope prolonging the suspended hour.

 

 

 

Moresque Midnight London £310 for 50ml eau de parfum harrods.com
Rebellious rhubarb sashays in leather trousers to an incense-infused club so cool you’ll never know about it.

 

 

 

 

Prada Olfactories Mirages Midnight Train £230 for 100ml eau de parfum (in Prada stores exclusive)
Chilled ebony chocolate sucked lasciviously within the wood-panelled seclusion of a night train’s affair.

 

 

 

Penhaligon’s Luna £152 for 100ml eau de toilette  penhaligons.com
Moon-bathed goddess slinks her way in a silver robe through a jasmine-swagged fairytale forest.

 

 

 

 AromAtom Moon Walk (try it in their Discovery Set, £69 / £65 VIPs)
Serene landscape in fragrance form – a world of sparkling dust and silvery mountains.

 

 

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Last chance for sunshine with 20% off our Seasonal Scents Summer Box!

To put it, well, mildly, it’s been a peculiar summer – so we’re bringing you a way to capture those last rays of sunshine with 20% off our Seasonal Scents Summer Box!

Because we all deserve some extra sunshine in our lives, we curated this box to be filled with fragrances that feel like wearing liquid light – luminescent, mood-lifting, spirit-reviving scents that instantly bring a smile to your face from the first spritz.

To grab one of the few remaining Seasonal Scent Summer Boxes with that amazing 20% saving, simply use this code when prompted on checking out: SUMMER20 

Terms & Conditions – Code cannot be used in conjunction with any other code or used on sale products. Active from 15.09.21 12.00pm – 20.09.21 12.00am. Applicable on the Quarterly and Annual subscription, 20% off only applies to Summer Box when purchasing a Quarterly subscription.

 

 

Our Seasonal Scent Boxes have proved incredibly popular, and no wonder with the past 18 months or so we’ve all experienced. They’ve been put together to answer the many queries we get, asking which fragrances are best to wear for particular times of year. As summer-ish weather now seems to stretch anywhere from Easter to late September in the U.K. we felt it only right to prolong the pleasure by giving you this last chance to get your hands (and nose!) on these scent-filled boxes of joy!

Within each Seasonal Scents Box you will find…

Seasonal Fragrances  –  EIGHT fragrances from 2ml – 7ml, these will be kept secret until they arrive at your door, we just love the element of surprise!

Online Smelling Notes – accessible via a QR code within your box, guiding you through the fragrances and how to start smelling.

Unboxing Video –  also via the QR code, for every box our Senior Fragrance Writer Suzy Nightingale will guide you when opening your new box.

Hints, Tips and Quizzes – to ensure you get the most out of your fragrances and have fun!

 

Don’t delay and miss out on your last chance to capture the sunshine! A gift for a friend or family member you’ve not been able to catch up with this summer? A gift to self because you bloomin’ well deserve it, maybe? Whatever the occasion, these radiant fragrances will bring you happy summer memories for months to come…

Fragrances For… The Last of the Summer Sunshine

Last of the Summer Sunshine? Well the last few days the weather’s actually been more ‘summer’ like than it has been for several weeks! As the last days of summer slip into autumn’s more golden light, it can be hard to mark where one season ends and another begins – these fragrances are filled with a glorious luminousity that captures those gilded days and helps us cling to the sunshine a while longer…

 

 

 

GUERLAIN
Aqua Allegoria Flora Salvaggia
Who hasn’t fantasised about running through a meadow of wildflowers, wind in our hair? That’s the vibe that Guerlain seek to evoke with this second of 2021’s Aqua Allegoria, composed to conjure up the ‘poetry’ of the scent of wild flora, lifted by a drift of clean musks. We know many a collector of these Guerlain creations, who’ll be thrilled to add this gilded bottle (with its lavender-tinted juice) to their summer scent wardrobe.
From £69 for 75ml eau de toilette
guerlain.com

 

 

HOLLISTER
Canyon Escape For Her
Another trend we’re noticing in fragrances this year is a shimmering sunrise of desert-themed scents – the olfactory oasis here blooming with rose, orange blossom and dusty iris, freshened up top with juicy mandarin, blood orange and a ripple of cool cactus, smoothed beneath by cedarwood and a soft waft of musk. We imagine sun-blushed skin, floral crowns and the glamorous yet laid-back escapism of the Californian desert while sniffing this so-happy scent.
£16.50 for 100ml eau de parfum
very.co.uk 

 

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ
Narciso Eau Neroli Ambrée
Neroli is one of the most instantly sunshine-y, happy-making notes on the scentscape (we took an office poll last year, and it came out on top for evoking bright light and happy, holiday memories). The brilliant Aurélien Guichard packs pleasure into every spritz, here – a veritable whoosh of optimism, tempered with comfort, in this slinky, silky dream. Orange blossom and soft woods sigh contentedly to the so-iconic white musk trail.
£65 for 50ml eau de parfum
johnlewis.com

 

CALVIN KLEIN
Eternity Men Summer
If you couldn’t get away this year, this really feels like a holiday in a bottle. Evoking the unique air temperature of a summer’s dawn, the airy exhilaration of bergamot oil sparkles like the first fingers of sunlight illuminating the sea, the glittering waves bringing coconut water and a smooth, creamy breeze of Australian sandalwood – and you’ll be glad to know this precious ingredient was sustainably sourced. Eternity always feels like a perfect summer’s day, bottled forever.
£60 for 100ml eau de toilette
superdrug.com

 

PARFUMS DE MARLY
Greenley
A distinctly greener vibe for this much-loved niche house, bringing the feeling of a Cologne but with the benefit of far greater staying power in a concentrated eau de parfum. Bursting with citrus up top, the petitgrain grants an immediate freshness, a fruity interpretation of cashmere wood fused with crisp apple and the shady cool of violet. Amberwood ripple throughout, making this feel like a much-needed stroll through the woodlands when you need to escape.
£160 for 75ml eau de parfum
harrods.com

 

You are my sunshine: why solar scents are soaring

What do we mean by calling a scent solar ? Although not an official fragrance family, it’s a word we’ve seen increasingly used to describe a whole range of recent launches.

Filled with sunshine, radiant and sparkling, we might once have called these fragrances ‘fresh-floral’ or, more prosaically, ‘citrus’. A new way of referencing scent taps into the zeitgeist, reflects how we’re feeling as a society and, therefore, how we want to project ourselves. In a world that for so long has seemed dark and scary, perhaps it’s only natural we’re being ever-more drawn to scents offering an olfactory ray of sunshine.

Actual solar flares are intense bursts of radiation emanating from the sun that can affect radio waves and send your Google Maps haywire. In a fragrance, yes ‘solar’ denotes a feeling of sunshine – but with it a physical feeling of being uplifted, of turning our faces toward the light source, a perfumed purr of warm cat contentedness.

Citrus notes are vital, but in this new genre they differ from Colognes because solar scents are more multi-layered: mellowed by breezy blossoms, dappled with cooler herbs or touched with a tingle of sheer spices and warm woods.

So, why is ‘solar’ trending? Quite simply, we need something that goes deeper than a quick, zesty pick-me-up; beyond merely feeling momentarily refreshed. As Louisa May Alcott puts it in Little Women, ‘Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow.’ And quite frankly, with the state of the world at the moment, aren’t we all weary of shadows?

So, why not soak yourself in these solar scents, look towards the light, and let the sunshine in…?

 

Wear these solar scents for instant sunshine Escentric Molecules M+ Mandarin

Escentric Molecules M+ Mandarin £95 for 100ml eau de parfum
The KAPOW! of super-charged, fruity brightness  feels like clouds parting and ends with a hug of ‘your skin but better’ softness. Sophisticated freshness that keeps on going (and helps you hang on to hope).

 

 

Sunny solar scents for summer Floral Street Arizona Bloom 
Floral Street Arizona Bloom from £24 for 10ml eau de parfum
Capturing the heart-soaring feeling of freedom this wide-open vista evokes a desert oasis. Queen of the Night flower lush with Balinese coconut, grounded by woody oakmoss and salted musks.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Vitae Cologne Forte (2ml of all three new MFK eaux de parfum are in Eau So Fresh Discovery Box, £23
Sun-drenched mandarin mixes with a sunny floral accord and brings to mind the warmest, glowiest early afternoon light, underpinned by the sensuality of the fragrance.

  

ESTEE_LAUDER_BRONZE_GODDESS_AZUR.j
Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Azur £44 for 50ml eau de toilette
Sicilian lemon, Italian bergamot and Calabrian mandarin are shot through with salty licks of luminescence – neroli and orange flower buoyed by shafts of sunlight, warming to blissfully body-warmed milkiness.

 


Shay & Blue Mermaid Kisses (2ml eau de toilette is part of The Scented Retreat Discovery Box, £23)
Think honeydew melon, holiday cocktails on the shoreline at sunset, looking out to an endless horizon. We’re dreaming of bare, bronzed shoulders kissed by the evening air, the excitement of tomorrow’s adventures.

By Suzy Nightingale

Fragrances for… a holiday in a bottle

Travel restrictions are lifting for some, but we’re still up for taking a holiday in a bottle at Perfume Society Towers. One of the most magical things about fragrance is its ability to transport us to far-flung climes, to give the feeling of sun-warmed limbs and that blissful mix of relaxation and excitement at exploring somewhere new. So if you can’t get away, get these…!

 

 

CALVIN KLEIN Eternity Summer
Another in the ever-evolving ‘solar floral’ fragrance trend we’ve previously noted, here gleaming bright sunlight glints through the zing of Italian bergamot and luminescent jasmine, while heat haze shimmers in the desert rose oil and tingling warmth of ginger. Echoing the sunset colours of the beautiful bottle, this ‘duality of summer days’ captures the watercolour-dipped radiance melting into evening, cool violet leaves, coconut water and vetiver whispering on still sun-warmed skin. Immediately evocative. £RRP TBC STOCKIST TBC

 

DIOR La Collection Privé Eden-Roc
We rather suspect that Dior’s resident perfumer, François Demachy, enjoyed even more than usual his ‘research’ for this fragrance, a hymn to one of the world’s most legendary hotels, on the rocky shore of the Côte d’Azur. Flooded with sunlight, it’s cooled and ruffled by a salty breeze, revealing an accord reminiscent of nothing so much as expensive suntan oil, suffused with jasmine and a touch of coconut. Truly the stuff of holiday dreams. From £99 for 40ml eau de parfum dior.com

 

GUERLAIN Aqua Allegoria Nettare di Sole
There is just so much anticipation, each year, for Guerlain’s fresh-in-every-way duo of Aqua Allegoria, always sophisticated, always breezy, always wonderfully escapist. The star of the show as ever is a central note of citrusy bergamot, this time wrapped in luminous white florals and aquatic notes and then drizzled tantalisingly in honey. Guerlain’s own description nails it: ‘A delicious icy floral honey.’ To which we can only respond: ‘More, please.’ £69 for 75ml eau de toilette guerlain.com

 

 
ACQUA DI PARMA Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura
This limited edition is offered in a real treasure of a collectible, hand-crafted porcelain bottle – refillable, too, in line with AdP’s focus on sustainability. Imagine a fresh breeze, lightly rippling through the air, sun sparkling on the water, imagined here via the citrus refreshment of bitter orange, mandarin and grapefruit alongside that signature bergamot, with green galbanum and geranium and offering lasting impression of cedarwood and vetiver. £124 for 100ml eau de toilette acquadiparma.com

 

HOLLISTER Canyon Escape For Him
Perfumer Linda Chinery took inspiration from ‘…the spirit of the Hollister guy who is energised by his love of the unknown and adventure that is made even better when shared with friends.’ Black pepper and cardamom provide a tingle of contradicting temperatures – imagine a heat wave relieved by jumping into a lake as blue as the juice. Soothing sage and a refreshingly piquant note of Californian juniper beckons the oakmoss, amber-rich base. Worth a detour! £16.50 for 100ml eau de toilette very.co.uk